You know that moment in time where you realize that your daughter seems to all-the-sudden outgrow some clothing? Then you notice that she is cleaning her plate at every meal? And asking for second helpings? We’re definitely there right now. So as I’m meal-planning these days, everything is getting a second glance to see if I think Abigail will like it. She’s in a growing spurt, so if I don’t get good nutrition into her, she’ll be scavenging through the pantry at every opportunity. Thankfully, she still loves salad- and even better if it’s made with spinach. She’s not so much a fan of mixed greens, but she’ll gobble up fresh leafy spinach any day of the week if it’s doused with her favorite raspberry-walnut vinagrette. (Litehouse brand, for anyone interested.) So salad is a current staple, but the main entree? The protein packed part of the meal? That’s where I really want to make sure she is eating well, so I’ve been going through old blog posts, looking for things that she’s inhaled with gusto.
Last night’s recipe was the one recipe that hooked me forever on Cooking Light Magazine. I had borrowed a cookbook from the library and copied down a few recipes that looked good to me. This was an era during dial-up internet, so I didn’t spend time online looking for recipes. Instead I would pick up a book from a library, and notebook in hand, copy down any recipes that called to me with a pen. Honey-Pecan Crusted Chicken is the first Cooking Light recipe I copied down, and the first recipe that I made. It was a surprise winner for Andy and I, and for a few months, we made it quite often, for just ourselves or for company. As I became addicted to Cooking Light though, new recipes came along that needed to be tried, and as happens so often, an old favorite gets shoved aside and forgotten about. But this Honey-Pecan chicken is not one to stay hidden.
I love, love, love the crunchy coating on this chicken that comes from a combination of cornflakes and pecans. The pecans toast up beautifully and give a fantastic flavor to the crunch of the cornflakes. Before dredging in crumbs, the chicken is first given a bath in honey which has dijon mustard, paprika and garlic powder added to it. Yes, it sounds strange, but one bite of this crispy, crunchy chicken and you’ll be hooked. Abigail pretty much loves any form of crispy chicken, but last night she actually helped herself to a second piece of chicken- that’s unheard of. She ate two pieces clean to the bone, along with her huge mound of spinach salad, creamy rice, and followed it all up with an apple crisp made with fresh-off-the-tree apples. Abigail tested and Abigail approved, if you haven’t tried this oven crisped chicken- you really should. It’s delicious!
Honey-Pecan Crusted Chicken
from Cooking Light Magazine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 chicken breasts — skinned
8 chicken leg — skinned
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/4 cups corn flakes — crushed
1/2 cup pecan — finely chopped
Preheat oven to 400.
Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over chicken.
Combine honey, mustard, paprika, and garlic. Brush both sides of chicken with sauce.
Combine cornflakes and pecans. Dredge chicken in cornflakes mixture.
Place on large baking sheet that has been prepared with cooking spray. Lightly coat chicken with cooking spray.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.
This looks so good! I know that honey mustard just makes a dish!
I used to get those inexpensive chicken leg quarters (used to be much less expensive than they are now) and baste them with honey mustard sauce while they were baking.
Yum–anything with honey and mustard is a hit in my book!
And thanks for bringing up the old, lost faves–I think I’ll have to make some of my chicken leg quarters sometime..after I try this one 🙂
Ooh! I forgot to mention that I use the leg quarters for this recipe instead of the breasts and legs. I just use the quarters, although I separate the thighs and drumsticks before preparing it. Thanks for the reminder!